Connecter



Sept. 1, 1936. F. c. DE REAMER CONNECTER Filed Jan. 5, 1935 InventorFrank C. De Re amer,

9 His Attorney.

Patented Sept. 1, 1936 PATENT OFFICE 2,053,136 comc'rsa Frank C. deReamer, Bridgeport, Conn., assignor to General Electric Company, acorporation of New York Application January 5, 1935, Serialblo. 548

3 Claims.

What I consider to be novel and my invention may be better understood byreference to the following specification and accompanying drawing inwhich Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a vacuum cleaner inwhich my invention is adapted to be used; Fig. 2 is a detail view of aportion of the vacuum cleaner showing my improved connecter mounted inthe handle; Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the connecter with anattachment cap shown in a position to be connected to said connecter;Fig. 4 is a detail view showing a section along lines 4-4 of Fig. 3;Fig. 5 is an end view with a part of the 20 device cut away; and Fig. 6is an enlarged perspective view of a contact member; and Fig. 7 is aperspective view of a modified form of connecter.

Referring to the drawing Ill indicates a vacu- 5 um cleaner providedwith a handle II in which is secured my connecter I2 as better indicatedin Fig. 2. Connecter l2 consists of a cylindrical body member 13 ofinsulating material which is adapted to be secured in the handle II by 0means of a screw I4 threaded into an aperture IS in the side of body l3.Connecter l2 provides a separable connection between the switch (notshown) located in the handle II and the motor mounted in the vacuumcleaner l l adjacent 35 to the nozzle. An attachment cap I6 is connectedto the motor leads and has detachable connection with the connecter l2.Body member i3 is provided with three chambers ll, [8, and I3 whichextend longitudinally from end to end of the 40 body member l3. Chambersl1, l8, and H! are provided with openings at both ends. Contact members20 and 2| are provided located in chambers l1 and I8, respectively. Asimilar contact member is adapted to be located in chamber l9,

45 but has been removed in order to show the construction of thechamber. Each chamber l1, l8, and I9 is provided with a shoulder 22 inthe inner wall of the chambers intermediate their ends. A secondshoulder 23 is provided in each 50 chamber adjacent one end andextending around the outside and adjacent side walls of said chambers.The contact members l1 and I8 are identical and an enlarged view ofmember I1 is shown in Fig. 6. A terminal 24 is provided in- 55 tegralwith the contact member I! and extending (Cl. INF-332) at an obtuseangle from an adjacent fiat portion 25. A spring contact finger 26 isintegrally connected with the fiat portion 25 with its free end 21offset from the portion 25 as better indicated in Fig. 3. Connected toterminal 24 is a binding a screw 28 and a cooperating nut 29. Contactmember I1 is adapted to be inserted in the body member I3 from one endwith the part adjacent to portion 25 which is offset from the free end21 of spring member 26 resting on shoulder 22 i0 and the free end 21resting against the inner wall of chamber 20. Conductors 30, 3|, and 32are adapted to be connected to the contact members by means of thebinding screws. A disc 33 is provided and adapted to cover the openingsof chambers l1, l8, and I9 at one end of the body member l3. Disc 33 issecured to the body member l3 by means of the screw 34. Disc 33 isprovided with the plurality of openings 35 corresponding to the numberof conductors connected to the connecter l2. Disc 33 when secured inposition after the conductors are connected to the contact members isadapted to closely engage the heads of the binding screw 28, forcing thenut 29 into engagement with shoulder 23 as better indicated in Fig. 4.This causes the contact member IT to pivot about shoulder 22 compressingthe spring finger 26 and holding its free end 21 tightly in engagementwith the wall of chamber 20. This prevents the 30 contact prongs of anattachment cap from passing between the inner wall of the chamber 20 andthe spring contact finger 26. In addition it increases the springtension and resultant contact pressure between the spring contact 26 andthe prongs of an attachment cap. Disc 33 in addition to holding thecontact members in position in the body member [3 also serves as astrain relief, as better indicated in Fig. 7. The conductors passingthrough the openings 35 engage the edge of the openings so that anystrain placed on the conductors is passed directly to the disc 33 and isnot transmitted to the contact members. The modification of theinvention shown in Fig. "I is identical with the construction of theconnecter shown in Figs. 3 and 4 except that the open end of the bodymember l3a is provided with a cap 36. The cap 36 is in threadedengagement with the body member l3a. In the embodiments of the inventionshown three contact members are provided, but obviously the invention isnot limited to any specific number of contact members and only two maybe provided for the reception of the standard two-prong attachment cap.From the foregoing description it may be seen that the contact membersare loosely assembled in the chambers in the body member. and aresecured in position by engagement with the disc 33 which is held inposition by a single screw 34. Thus, the parts or the connecter I! areall secured and held in position by a single screw. This greatly reducesthe cost of assembly of the device. In addition the contact member I! isformed oi a single piece of sheet material which may be stamped out andformed in a single operation. Thus, an improved connecter is providedwhich may be made of very small size and is simple in construction, oflow cost of manufacture, and easy to assemble.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 01' theUnited States, is:

1. An electric connecter comprising a body member of insulatingmaterial, chambers extending longitudinally of said body member andhaving openings at both ends, a plurality of shoulders in said chambersintermediate the ends, contact members located in said chambers havingterminals extending at an obtuse angle from one end and intermediateoffset portions resting on one of said shoulders, binding screws andnuts connected to said terminals, a disc of insulating material coveringthe openings of the chambers at one end of said body member and a screwsecuring the disc to said body member in engagement with the bindingscrews, forcing the nuts against the other of said shoulders, pivotingthe contact members on the offset portions and holding the opposite freeends of said contact members against the side walls of said chambers.

2. An electrical connecter comprising a body member of insulatingmaterial, a chamber extending longitudinally of said body member andhaving openings at both ends, a shoulder intermediate the ends of saidchamber, a second shoulder adjacent the opening at one end of saidchamber, a contact member located in said chamber having a terminalextending at an obtuse angle from one end and an intermediate 01!- setportion resting on said first named shoulder, a binding screw and nutconnected to said terminal, a disc of insulating material secured tosaid body member and covering the openings of the chambers at one endand adapted to engage the head of said binding screw to force the nutagainst said second named shoulder and pivoting the contact member aboutthe offset portion, forcing the opposite free end of said contact memberin engagement with the side wall of said chamber.

3. An electric connecter comprising a body member of insulatingmaterial, a chamber located in said body member and having openings atboth ends, a contact member having a terminal at one end and an adjacentfiat portion, and a spring contact finger integrally connected with andofiset from said fiat portion, a part adjacent to said flat portion ofsaid contact member resting on a shoulder in said chamber, a bindingscrew connected to the terminal of said contact member, means to securesaid contact member in said body member and pivot the contact member onsaid shoulder with its free end in close engagement with a wall of saidchamber.

FRANK C. DE REAMER.

